Article Presented by:
Tammy M. Ratcliff
If you are not making use of online article marketing to help promote your business, you may be passing up an unlimited amount of advertising opportunities. Marketing through article writing is one of the easiest ways to gain notoriety for your company, and it is so subtle, it hardly seems like advertising at all.
How It Works
The standard marketing approach for companies has, for a long time, been to take out a billboard, a yellow pages ad, or to pay for a radio or television commercial. The typical ad would basically proclaim that, "our company is the best". The trouble with this kind of advertising is that any company can say anything they want to about themselves without having a bit of proof to back it up.
Online article marketing is a much more unique approach. Begin by choosing any subject that has something to do with what your company does or sells, and write a short article about it. Better yet, create an informational article that will appeal to people who are in your target market. For example if you sell toilets, tell people how to install their own toilet. Or if you do landscaping, tell people how to landscape their own property --- and in the end, most readers will decide that although you have shown them how to do it themselves, the actual task is hard work and they would prefer to pay someone like you to do the task for them.
Next, find a company who will distribute the article online for you through various e-zines, newsletters and websites, etc. These distribution companies typically charge a small fee for sending articles to publishers, and if need be, some distribution companies can also write the articles for you.
At the end of each article there is something referred to as a "resource box." In this box, there will be a short, 2-3 sentence sales pitch telling people why they should visit your website, with links leading directly to your company's website. The goal of the resource box is to entice the reader to visit your website. It is that easy.
Once a potential client is on your website, he or she can see exactly what your company has to offer. Chances are, they will use your services because they have already received free, useful advice from you through the article. In this way, you have actually proven you are knowledgeable instead of just saying it. This low-key approach tends to be more appreciated by customers than some in-your-face proclamation of greatness.
Is It Worth It?
Absolutely! For your money, you will never find a broader scope of advertising possibilities. Distribution networks are making it possible for these written articles to be seen by hundreds and thousands of potential customers. And when your article is picked up by a website, it has the potential of residing on that website for many years to come, and often, your article could find its way into the search engine results for your article's topic. That means almost unlimited opportunities for your company's name to be seen and heard. No other type of advertising can deliver those types of results for such a small fee.
How Big Is Your Dream?
Ever heard of a small company called StubHub? This is an online ticket broker that helps put sold-out event tickets into the hands of fans everywhere. This company is also in the process of being purchased by EBay, Inc. for a measly 310 million dollars! Interestingly, article marketing was used as part of their marketing strategy. Of course, offering a great service didn't hurt either. In any event, this company saw the possible benefits of this newer type of marketing and gave it a shot. Who knows, maybe your company will be able to credit some of its success to distributing well-written articles online.
Don't Just Write It, Write It Well
In order for article marketing to be as effective as possible, it is important that the printed articles have very few mistakes, if any at all. Misspelled words, run-on sentences and other writing errors are really noticeable on a computer screen. You want potential customers to focus on the content of the article, not the mistakes in grammar or syntax. Inevitably, this inattention to detail will only succeed in making your company appear not to care about small issues. A carefully written article shows that details matter to your company. In today's customer service starved society, a little thing such as this can make all the difference in which company a customer will choose.
That said; if writing isn't your strong point, don't hesitate to hire a professional writer. As stated earlier, some online article distribution companies have writers on staff that can help you with this. Other writers do freelance work and can be found advertising their services online. The point is, once you decide to use online article marketing to promote your business, make sure the articles being written truly represent the image of your company that you want to get across.
The Skinny
Online article marketing gives you the opportunity to advertise your company 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, and 365 days per year. It is an easy, inexpensive, and innovative technique being used more and more by Internet savvy businesses. Don't let this growing trend pass your company by. It could be the key to turning your small business into a major corporation.
About the Author:
Written by: Tammy M. Ratcliff, (http://www.thePhantomWriters.com) Stop throwing your money away on Ineffective Article Marketing Campaigns! Learn the Secrets of writing reprint articles that can generate thousands of dollars in new sales. The techniques shared in The Phantom Writers $37 ebook could even help you to get more effective articles from your ghost writers. Get your own copy of "Article Marketing For Traffic, Sales and Profit" today.
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I will seek to answer those questions here, as well as to provide a Day Planner to enable the new online entrepreneur to navigate the maze of building a successful online business. When I find great advice by other writers, I will include that information as well. --- Clinton Douglas IV, Founder of Vasrue.com |
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Please Learn From My Mistakes!
Article Presented by:
Tammy M. Ratcliff
Lots of people know how to write, but not everyone knows how to write well, especially when it comes to writing an article for publication. In these instances, it is imperative that what is written be as error free as possible. Once something is printed, it cannot be corrected, and unfortunately, people will notice. Here are a few things I have learned not to do when writing for the general public.
Misspelled Words
Ever written an article, published it, and then discovered you had misspelled a word? Spell-check is a wonderful thing, but it doesn't catch every error. For instance, if a word is spelled correctly but is not being used in the proper context, spell-check is likely to pass right over it. That is what happened to me when I accidentally typed the word "pubic" instead of "public" in the middle of an article. My computer and I both failed to recognize the error, but millions of readers everywhere were treated to a nice, little chuckle on my behalf. That embarrassing incident taught me to always have someone else check my writing before releasing it to print.
Incorrect Word Choice
Some words are not only spelled similarly, but have similar meanings as well. This can lead to a lot of confusion for both writers and readers. Some examples include "it's" versus "its" and "may be" versus "maybe". Again, these are things that may not be recognized by spell-check software. Even if the distinctions between the words are subtle, it is still very important that they be used correctly. Somebody, somewhere will not only notice the mistake, but will have no problem pointing it out to whoever will listen. It is always better to be certain about a word's proper use before committing it to print, than to learn about the error from a reader after the fact. Sometimes, the dictionary is a writer's best friend.
Big Words and Lengthy Sentences
In college I studied mostly English and Philosophy. I wrote more papers than I care to remember, but one thing I do recall is being encouraged to write a variety of different sentence lengths and to be creative in my word choices. I was instructed to write down my deepest thoughts as thoroughly as possible and not be afraid to over-explain them. This may have been great advice for writing a theme or an essay, but it doesn't go over very well with most media publications.
I have found that people who read newspapers or internet articles want to be able to find information quickly. They tend to scan articles first to see if they want to read the whole thing. College professors may appreciate flowery words and sentences, but the general public prefers a more straightforward approach. Keep it simple, seriously.
Check the Facts
Believe me, there is nothing more embarrassing than spouting off about something, only to have it brought to your attention (by a reader) that your facts are a little off. For instance, I once wrote an article that included a reference to Orson Wells' book 1984. The only problem was, Orson Wells didn't write that book. George Orwell did! I was horrified when I realized what I had done. It no longer mattered what the article was about or how brilliant my observations had been. To those who recognized my mistake, I had lost all credibility.
Tricky Titles
I once read an article entitled "Judy Garland's Favorite Vacation Spot". The first paragraph did mention something about Judy Garland and something about "vacation spots"; but the rest of the article was about traveling in the southwestern United States. In other words, the title was not exactly forthcoming. This type of trickery should be avoided at all costs. It does nothing but irritate readers and create a bad reputation for the writer. There is too much deceit in the world already.
Conclusion
The moral of this story is, when writing for publication or self-promotion, read, reread, and then let someone else read it too. Be aware of problematic words and double-check them. Make sure the article is easy to understand, but most importantly, that it is accurate and truthful. It's true that everyone makes mistakes, but writers must be especially careful to avoid them. Once our words are printed for the world to see, we cannot easily take them back.
About the Author:
Written by: Tammy M. Ratcliff, (http://www.thePhantomWriters.com) Stop throwing your money away on Ineffective Article Marketing Campaigns! Learn the Secrets of writing reprint articles that can generate thousands of dollars in new sales. The techniques shared in The Phantom Writers $37 ebook could even help you to get more effective articles from your ghost writers. Get your own copy of "Article Marketing For Traffic, Sales and Profit" today.
Tammy M. Ratcliff
Lots of people know how to write, but not everyone knows how to write well, especially when it comes to writing an article for publication. In these instances, it is imperative that what is written be as error free as possible. Once something is printed, it cannot be corrected, and unfortunately, people will notice. Here are a few things I have learned not to do when writing for the general public.
Misspelled Words
Ever written an article, published it, and then discovered you had misspelled a word? Spell-check is a wonderful thing, but it doesn't catch every error. For instance, if a word is spelled correctly but is not being used in the proper context, spell-check is likely to pass right over it. That is what happened to me when I accidentally typed the word "pubic" instead of "public" in the middle of an article. My computer and I both failed to recognize the error, but millions of readers everywhere were treated to a nice, little chuckle on my behalf. That embarrassing incident taught me to always have someone else check my writing before releasing it to print.
Incorrect Word Choice
Some words are not only spelled similarly, but have similar meanings as well. This can lead to a lot of confusion for both writers and readers. Some examples include "it's" versus "its" and "may be" versus "maybe". Again, these are things that may not be recognized by spell-check software. Even if the distinctions between the words are subtle, it is still very important that they be used correctly. Somebody, somewhere will not only notice the mistake, but will have no problem pointing it out to whoever will listen. It is always better to be certain about a word's proper use before committing it to print, than to learn about the error from a reader after the fact. Sometimes, the dictionary is a writer's best friend.
Big Words and Lengthy Sentences
In college I studied mostly English and Philosophy. I wrote more papers than I care to remember, but one thing I do recall is being encouraged to write a variety of different sentence lengths and to be creative in my word choices. I was instructed to write down my deepest thoughts as thoroughly as possible and not be afraid to over-explain them. This may have been great advice for writing a theme or an essay, but it doesn't go over very well with most media publications.
I have found that people who read newspapers or internet articles want to be able to find information quickly. They tend to scan articles first to see if they want to read the whole thing. College professors may appreciate flowery words and sentences, but the general public prefers a more straightforward approach. Keep it simple, seriously.
Check the Facts
Believe me, there is nothing more embarrassing than spouting off about something, only to have it brought to your attention (by a reader) that your facts are a little off. For instance, I once wrote an article that included a reference to Orson Wells' book 1984. The only problem was, Orson Wells didn't write that book. George Orwell did! I was horrified when I realized what I had done. It no longer mattered what the article was about or how brilliant my observations had been. To those who recognized my mistake, I had lost all credibility.
Tricky Titles
I once read an article entitled "Judy Garland's Favorite Vacation Spot". The first paragraph did mention something about Judy Garland and something about "vacation spots"; but the rest of the article was about traveling in the southwestern United States. In other words, the title was not exactly forthcoming. This type of trickery should be avoided at all costs. It does nothing but irritate readers and create a bad reputation for the writer. There is too much deceit in the world already.
Conclusion
The moral of this story is, when writing for publication or self-promotion, read, reread, and then let someone else read it too. Be aware of problematic words and double-check them. Make sure the article is easy to understand, but most importantly, that it is accurate and truthful. It's true that everyone makes mistakes, but writers must be especially careful to avoid them. Once our words are printed for the world to see, we cannot easily take them back.
About the Author:
Written by: Tammy M. Ratcliff, (http://www.thePhantomWriters.com) Stop throwing your money away on Ineffective Article Marketing Campaigns! Learn the Secrets of writing reprint articles that can generate thousands of dollars in new sales. The techniques shared in The Phantom Writers $37 ebook could even help you to get more effective articles from your ghost writers. Get your own copy of "Article Marketing For Traffic, Sales and Profit" today.
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